Cuddles
by kiwisplasj
Summary: The boys get themselves into a spot of trouble when they go hunt an unknown monster, and aid comes from a surprising source. Lots of HurtDean and ProtectiveSam.
1. It Begins

**Okay, this is actually my first fanfiction, just haven't had the nerve to post it before now. It all started with a dream I had were Dean got pierced by something in the back, and it sort of just escalated from there into a massive story with events and characters I had never imagined. It starts out a bit weird, but it gets better, especially for everyone who enjoys HurtDean**** and ProtectiveSam ;)**

**A warning, it's long, defiantly spawning quite a few chapters. It is all mapped out, and mostly written, but it still needs to be edited quite a bit, witch takes quite a bit of time in my universe as I am an endless nitpicker. Will post whenever school, real life and my muse allows me some writing time. **

**So hope you enjoy this weird adventure! **

**...**

**It Begins**

**...**

He really didn't feel good going into this hunt. They were unprepared and going in blind. What creature they hunted had eluded them. All they knew was that the creature was deadly, and fast. He had argued that they needed to do more research, to which Dean had grudgingly agreed. Well, for a while at least. But as the bodies started piling up, his brother had gotten more and more agitated as their research was going nowhere. The last drop had come when a six year old girl fell victim to the evil.

**...**

**Earlier**

**...**

"Dean, where are you going?"

"I'm going to go celebrate! What do you think you nitwit?" his brother yelled back, his stride towards the door never breaking.

Sam launched himself at the door, just managing to reach it before Dean, his giant body effectively barring the way out.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get out of my way!"

But Sam stood his ground. "No, you need to calm down. We don't know what this is or where it is, going in blind and furious will only get you killed. And I for one won't stand for that!"

Dean glared at him, ice cold fury hitting him full force. He would have taken a step back if he could, but with his back to the door, there was no room. So he once again stood his ground, although this time with a slight panic blossoming in his chest, increasing for every step his brother advanced.

His eyes closed in reflex as he saw Dean's fisted hand come up. He heard the resounding thump and crack from Dean's punch, but no pain. Surprised he opened his eyes. His sight was immediately drawn to Dean's bloody knuckles. It was clear that he had delivered a massive punch to something, but to what?He glanced around, not entirely surprised when his gaze landed on a gaping hole in the wall. Well, there goes our deposit again Sam sighed to himself.

He knew that Dean hated when kids were involved. To be honest, he didn't like it either. But going off in anger without thoroughly preparing for a hunt was something that defiantly wouldn't have helped anyone. He relaxed slightly as Dean returned to his bed, all signs of fight seeming to drain from his sibling. Now if only he could ward of the rest of the rage he knew to be simmering beneath the cool exterior Dean was determined to project.

"I'm sorry man, it's just that we need to figure more stuff out first. Okay?"

He received only a grunt in response. He sighed and headed to the bathroom before returning to kneel before Dean, wash cloth in hand. "Let me see your hand"

Dean remained motionless, starring ahead at nothing in particular.

Sam caught his hand, trying to pull the resisting limb to him. "Come on, we'll go to the library tomorrow, find some maps, see if we might find where it can be holing up. Going through a million acres of forest isn't exactly the best way of narrowing things down, right?"

"I guess."

Delighted that he finally seemed to be making some progress, he pressed on. "So you on board with this? We keep our necks out of the forest at least until we have managed to get some decent leads on the thing. No running around like headless chickens no matter how bad it gets. Okay?"

He just received a glare in return.

"Dean?'' he questioned again, the cajoling tone now replaced with a hint of sternness.

"Jesus, and I thought dad was bad! Fine, I promise I won't go all gung ho on you until we at least get a decent lead or you give the okay. Good enough for you there, commander?"

"Almost, just need you to let me treat that hand of yours, then we're good."

"Its fine, don't worry about it," Dean refuted, still resisting Sam's pull on his arm.

"Well, I think I'll better be the judge of that. Besides with these hotel rooms we stay in, there's no telling what could have gotten in the wound. So just let me take a look, okay?"

Dean looked down into his brothers pleading face, and surrendered, all the while cursing himself for never being able resist those damned puppy dog eyes. One day he promised himself, one day he would finally learn to say no to those pleading eyes. But until that day arrived, he was helpless against their powers.

Sam allowed a small smile to break before preoccupying himself with treating his brother's hand.

It was scraped and bloodied, and still had some dirt in it, but it was just superficial injuries, nothing serious. So he quickly washed and disinfected the wound before trying to put a light bandage on it. But at that his brother once more balked, yet again trying to pull his injured appendage away.

"Hey, I don't need that, it's just a scratch!"

"It's only for tonight, just to keep any particles out of it while you sleep. Humour me, okay?"

Dean resigned himself to his brothers babying, not bothering to fight it as he had learned from experience that it was next to impossible to budge him when he entered the mother hen stadium. He amused himself by thinking of Sam in a female nurse outfit. Sam would have made a great nurse, no doubt about it, with his stubborn streak and puppy dog eyes. Even had the legs for it, the image making him chuckle.

Sam glanced up at him "What?"

"Nothing, just thought you'd make a great nurse that's all," Dean replied innocently.

"Thanks, I guess,"

He felt like he was missing something, but he was to tired to try to trick it out of his equally tired brother. Instead he tied of the bandage and patted Dean's knee before rising to throw away the supplies.

"You done? Am I free to go?" Dean joked, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"Well you're free to go to bed if that's what you're asking, anything else is on the other hand a whole other matter," he grinned back.

"You know, one day I'll finally learn to stand up to those puppy dog eyes of yours, and then you'll have a riot on your hands."

"Yeah okay, but until then, off to bed with you" he teased while making a shooing motion with his hands.

Dean just raised an eyebrow before heading for the bathroom, a slight smile crossing his face.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the last tensions from the situation dissipated. His brother could be the most stubborn fool you'd ever come across, but at other times he was as mellow as a kitten, especially when it came to his baby brother. He couldn't hold back a snigger. If Dean knew he had just been compared to a kitten, the wall definitely wouldn't be the one getting the next beating.

**...**

**So already a bit of HurtDean happening**** it seems, just couldn't resist ;) Next chappie we'll learn some more about the monster, then the real action begins!**


	2. The Next Morning

**They boys head down to the library to find some books, some info and a librarian ;)**

**I forgot to write in the beginning that this is set somewhere in the beginning of season two as I love the dynamic between the brothers in that season. But no major spoilers for now at least. **

**Oh, and secondly, they boys sadly still belong to Kripke, or perhaps Gamble now. I asked, but they still claimed they owned them… **

**...**

**The Next Morning**

**...**

"Time to rise and shine, sleepy head, the library is eagerly awaiting for you to grace it with your presence!"

"What, this early? You can't be serious, It's not even seven yet! The libraries just seem intent to keep coming up with more and more reasons for me to hate them every single minute. How you can stand them is beyond me," Dean grumbled, still not quite willing to leave the warm comforts of sleep.

"Well, figuring since you were in such a hurry to find this thing I thought you would love to be at the library first thing," Sam teased, knowing how his brother hated early mornings. Luckily his years at school and Stanford had broken him in.

"Yeah, sure, just get me some coffee and breakfast, and I'll be right there," Dean mumbled before waving him, already half way asleep again.

Seconds later the rich aroma of coffee under his nose brought him back to full awareness. His kid brothers smiling face meeting him as he opened his eyes. "Already did."

He sighed before levelling himself out of the bed, his hand snatching up the coffee to take a long pull of it. "Bossy much?"

"Whenever I'm allowed" Sam smirked back.

Dean barked out a laugh before rising from the bed. "Fine, you be in charge for now, but remember to enjoy it cause it ain't gonna last very long."

**...**

15 minutes later they pulled up at the library, arriving together with the young blond girl opening the library. She sized them up, her gaze lingering a bit longer on Dean then necessary. "Well aren't you boys early!" she said cheerily "don't be afraid to ask me if there's anything special I can help you with!"

"Well, my brother here is interested in the history of the region, so if you could point him in that direction I'm sure he'd be happy as a bluebird. Me on the other hand, seem to be in a bit more dire need for your special expertise" Dean smirked, her cheeks flushing in response.

"Em…yeah, sure… ehm, history is em…"

Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother's latest prey._ So much for getting help at the library._ "Don't worry miss, I'll find it."

**...**

After five gruelling hours of scouring books and maps, his brother returned.

Sam gave him an exasperated look before he exploded in harsh whispers "What the hell Dean? We're supposed to be working on the case, not playing bunnies!"

"Hey, who says I wasn't working? I would have you know that we unclosed plenty of vital information, both regarding the case and well… uh… other interesting stuff," Dean answered, raised eyebrow and trademark smirk in place. "Besides, there's no harm in looking and a bit of flirting, but a tad bit too young for my taste."

"You mean jail-bite don't you?" Sam commented dryly.

"Hey, she wasn't that young…was she? Real mature for her age then, hm…"

He once again found himself rolling his eyes at his hopeless sibling, deciding it was best to interrupt before his brother got lost in remembrance, or worse, gave him a detailed description of his view on the girl's exterior. "Sure, great, but back to what you claimed to have been working on and the vital information you disclosed?"

Sam's voice brought Dean back from his fun venture, although a bit unwillingly. "Oh yeah, she, uh we, found out that there were these humongous underground caverns located just at the outskirts of the town. Thought it might be worth a check as it seemed a likely place for a beast to go hole up."

"We don't know if it's a beast yet."

"Doesn't matter, it's just as likely a home for many other of the creatures we've encountered as a beast. C'mon man, I'm sick of doing nothing but research! Think I'm even starting to bruise my fine ass, and I can't have that, what would the ladies think?"

Sam just huffed at his brother's impatience, especially since he knew Dean had tricked the girl into doing all the research for him. But at the same time he saw the urgency in Dean's eyes, the need to actually be doing something to stop this. Should he really allow this?

"Oh come on, it's the best lead we've gotten so far! And besides, what could it hurt?"

**...**

**The hunt begins in the next chapter and so does the hurt, at least for Sammy, but Dean is following close behind )**


	3. The Cave

**I know I promised to update around once I week and that this is really, really late, but I have a good excuse! I had written about 10,000 words for you guys, but then lost it all when my computer crashed. At first I despaired, but then calmed down a bit when the fixers told me they would likely be able to fix my computer and save my files. So I waited impatiently for the return of my story. ****About three weeks later and I went to pick up my computer. Only then did they tell me that they couldn't save anything. To say I was pissed was an understatement. Felt like salting and burning the bugger right there and then. Then of course a home exam followed, so another week went by without me having any time to write. About the only thing good about those weeks where Asylum 5 which was an absolute blast! Thanks to actors and friends for making it a perfect weekend : ) **

**Now I have finally gotten some time to write again, and some will power. Still gutted about losing everything and keep trying to get it back to exact way it was, which is of course impossible. So sorry if this is of a lower standard as it is a bit rushed in order to get it out to you guys sooner. Hope you can forgive me for the lateness. **

**Oh and sorry for ranting too, just had to get it out of my system. But if you stick with me I can promise Hurt/Protective Sam and lots of HurtDean in the next chappie. And I so can't wait to introduce the monster, utterly in love with it!**

**Sorry again, but enjoy if you're still reading!**

…

**The Cave**

…

So here they were, deep inside a massive underground cave, tracking a monster they had no clue what was or how to kill. However had Dean managed to persuade him into this? Oh yeah, the promise of going after it when they found a lead. Boy, did he regret that promise now.

What little they knew about the creature had been pieced together from coronary reports and scene investigation. But no creature they knew was even close to matching their profile. The whole case had just been one big headache after another with all of its inconsistencies.

The victims disappeared, sometimes for days, sometimes for just a few hours, before they returned to the exact same spot they first vanished from. When discovered they were either dead from multiple organ failure or in a catatonic state that no one had yet to return from. Some of the victims also had large claw marks riddling their bodies, but none of the markings were lethal, either to shallow or in the wrong place to kill. From analyzing the marks there could be no doubt that if the creature wished to kill, it was dully equipped for it.

The only common factor among the victims seemed to be two deep puncture wounds, sometimes even going straight through the body. The wounds appeared on different parts of the bodies, but always in pairs. But still, the wounds weren't lethal, always placed where it wouldn't do any major harm except muscle damage. Sure, some of the victim may have ended up dying from blood loss eventually, but from what they'd gathered the victims were either found or dead long before that happened.

From the facts they had gathered they had been sure they were dealing with some kind of horrific beast. Well, at least until they searched the first crime scene that was.

A young man had been found dead in his own bed, covered in blood from the shallow claw marks littering his body. Seemed like any other bear mauling or similar attack at first glance. But from then on, things got weird.

The victim had been found lying under the covers in his own bed in a locked house. If the man himself hadn't been covered in blood he would have looked like he'd just gone to sleep. The house itself looked completely undisturbed, no sign of forced entry or blood splatters. The man was a mess, but not a single drop of blood could be found in the apartment except for on the man himself. The bed sheets hadn't even been ripped for crying out loud. There hadn't been any footprints or anything similar around the house either. The regular beast category sort of flew out the window at that as there was no way a dumb beast could maul a victim without leaving any trace of itself or the wicked deed.

They had then proceeded to check for signs of spirits or demons, but had again come up empty. They had also been to visit some of the comatose victims where they had tried any exorcism, holy water, symbol and everything else they could think of, but nothing caused as much as a flicker in the victims. They just lay there, as dead to world as they had been before.

At the hospital they had also learned that some of the comatose victims had started to die. But even the deaths had been random, no sort of order to it at all. Everything in their bodies would just shut down without no apparent reason, one minute they were fine, the next they were just gone. Others again just kept on laying there in their comatose state.

The whole case was just off, none of them, not even Bobby, had been able to make head's or tails of it.

But Dean had gotten his lead, even if it was a crummy one, so no amount of arguments could hold him back this time around. _So unknown monster and unknown cave, here we come!_ He reminded himself that next time Dean got a bright idea lodged in his thick skull, knocking him out would be a more effective option than reasoning.

The cave itself was mostly dry and clean, apparently not an animal dwelling. So at least run ins with bears or other normal beasts seemed to be out of the equation. No blood or remains had made an appearance either, something else that was always a good sign that no danger was around. On the other hand, one could never be to sure so he kept a wary eye on their surroundings.

Even though they were pretty far into the cave the air was still fresh which meant that the cave wasn't very deep as air had to be leaking through from holes on the surface. Still the cave wasn't very warm, not that they really noticed as lugging around duffels filled to the brim with weapons and books was heavy work. Dean had even been forced to shed his beloved leather jacked. He had insisted they'd take the duffels. If they were going on this hunt unprepared, they would at least be sure that they had the weapons they needed to kill the thing if they first encountered it. To his surprise Dean had actually agreed wholeheartedly with him and taken most of the heaviest stuff in his bag.

Dean was now leading the way, maglite in hand, Sam following at his heals, well most of the time at least. The problem was that he kept bumping his head on low hanging stalagmites, too busy keeping an eye out for anything dangerous to pay attention to the roof of the cave. But to be honest the stalagmites themselves weren't the most annoying part. The most annoying part was that Dean of course was just the right size to go clear of them. But not one to quit he ploughed on, trying his best to ignore his developing headache from all the bumps.

They had walked pretty far into the cave when Dean's flashlight died. "Hold on, battery's dead, need to change it. Be with you in a sec." He hefted his bag down and started on replacing the batteries. Sam walked a bit further on, right into another stalagmite of course. "Stupid, freaking stalagmites, why the heck did you have to pick a cave for dwarves?" he shouted angrily while rubbing at his sore head.

Dean just chuckled at his sasquatch of a brother. "Hey, I'm so not a dwarf, besides, not my problem that the world isn't made for giants!"

Sam just huffed his return, to busy feeling sorry for his aching head to be bothered. He could already feel a bump starting to rise.

Dean finished changing the batteries when a low rumbling sounded from above. He let the light roam the cave roof. A dangerously sharp stalagmite seemed to be loosening from the roof. He let the light sweep downwards and discovered to his horror that an oblivious Sam was standing right beneath it. He hurled himself towards his brother. "Saaammm!"

Before he had any time to react Sam felt the impact of his heavy brother and was immediately sent tumbling towards the far wall. His forehead once again connected with the unyielding rock, this time the blow was hard enough to make his world go black.

…

**Hope you liked it!**

**It might take me some time to get the next chapter out as ****it's longer then the first three chapters combined! But will try my best to work fast though! **


	4. Sam's Awakening

**So I'm going to be both good and evil here today. Good – You get an update this week, so yay! - Bad – It's sort of another cliffie, oops... **

**Wasn't meant to be a cliffie but people asked for a quick update and as the chapter originally is really long this was the only place I could find it reasonable to end it. The chapter chapter is still over 3000 words long so will be a little time to get it up, hope you'll stay with me :-)**

**...**

**Sam's awakening**

**...**

A dull throbbing was nagging at him in his otherwise blissful existence. He didn't feel like waking, knowing that the dull throbbing was sure to increase tenfold if he did. Instead he let himself drift, his senses and brain slowly becoming more tangible despite his best efforts to remain in the dark. Form out of nowhere the memory of Dean's terror stricken warning pushed its way through his brain.

His thoughts only for Dean he surged to his feet. But his body didn't agree with him. His head spun wildly and his knees buckled, nausea working its way up his throat._ Great, now I can probably add a slight concussion to the previous bump thanks to you Dean. Did you have to push me this hard?_

He swallowed hard several times, hoping to keep the sickness at bay. But the impact to his head and sudden change in altitude proved too much. His back arched as he heaved, his stomach contents quickly disappearing out onto the floor. After a short while his stomach was empty, painful dry heaves wracking his body instead. _God, I hate this, and I don't have time for it, need to get a grip, need to find Dean. _He fought hard to keep the nauseas at bay, keeping it at a safe distance. Spent, he wiped his mouth before letting himself fall back against the cave wall, not yet willing to risk rising as it would most likely bring on another bout of heaving.

His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness of the cave, but it was taking too long. He needed his torch, only trouble was that he had no idea where it had disappeared to. _Hm, probably rolled off to one of the cave walls when Dean hit me. And that's another good question, why the heck did he do that? My head was already feeling bad enough without him adding more bumps to it. But guess I need to find my rambunctious brother before I get an answer to that one._

Still not quite ready to stand he listened for any signs of his sibling. No footsteps, no voice, no nothing. Frustrated he closed his eyes and held his breath, solely focusing on sounds. The beautiful whoosh of breathing slowly made its way over to him. He sighed in relief. _Breathing's always a good sign._

He decided it was time to call out. "Dean?" Nothing.

Focusing yet again on his hearing he tried to zero in on the breathing, hoping it would help to pinpoint his brothers whereabouts. First then did he notice the hitch in Dean's usually steady breathing. It also sounded slow, more laboured then it should be. Panic blossomed in his chest, the sudden need to find his brother making him scramble to his feet despite of the nausea. He desperately clung to the cave wall as another spell of vertigo hit him, but thankfully he managed to stave of the heaving this time around.

Gathering himself he called out again. Stillness was his only answer.

"Dean, come on, speak to me man. You all right?" panic clearly seeping into his voice. But no response seemed to be forthcoming.

As the cave was still to dark for him to see properly, he stalked the cave walls, hoping to either bump into Dean or his torchlight.

He almost went down again as he stumbled on some rocks. _Funny, can't remember them being there before. Most likely just missed them due to those stupid stalagmites._

He kept walking, but his foot once again lost purchase as it slid on something round and hard. _The flashlight!_ He picked it up, but something was off. It was smaller and more intricate then his torchlight, this was Dean's. He was sure of it as he had himself gotten it for him as a birthday present just last year. He tried flicking it on. It gave a small flash, before sizzling out. He tried giving it a few thuds, but still nothing. _Must be the batteries. Dean likely didn't get around to change them earlier._ Still the fear kept niggling at him that something was wrong, very wrong.

He felt around the flashlight for the battery lid but soon realized that new batteries were the last of the lights sorrows. It had been dented several places and the light had been smashed. No wonder it had fizzled out on him. Most would probably just have thrown it away, but he pocketed it as he knew Dean loved the stupid flashlight. Would likely work his ass off to get it going again instead of just get a new one. Even though Dean didn't like to admit it, he was a sucker when it came to gifts or other items he saw as valuable. Even though most others wouldn't have given them a second glance Dean treasured them beyond everything else. He guessed it was Dean's way of showing that he cared. And besides, with Dean's prowess for all things technical he was sure the ruined maglight would be up lighting their way again in no time.

As he took another step his foot once more connected with another metallic object, this time his own flashlight. Except for a single bump it was in perfect condition, much like Sam himself, which again brought his thoughts to what Dean's condition. _It couldn't be as bad as his flashlight right? _Longing for an answer he tried his own flashlight, sending a small prayer of thank you as bright light enveloped the dark cave.

As soon as his eyes adjusted he let the beam traverse the cave. His breath hitched as it reached the middle of the cave. The reason why Dean had pushed him away suddenly all too apparent. And from the looks of it, Dean wasn't doing much better than his torchlight.

**...**

**Sorry, don't hate me. Now you guys at least know what happened to Sam right? Promise all will be revealed about Dean in the next chapter. No more cliffies in that, unless I have to split it again...**


	5. Dean's Awakening

**Sorry for the long wait! Unfortunately this stupid thing called real life had me by the short and curlies for a while, but I'm hopefully eying a bit more free time in the nearest future.**** But at least the chapter is a really long one!**

**When I started this chapter it consisted of 2000 words, after editing it's now twice the length as it's now 5000 words long. I blame the boys, they wouldn't stop chattering!**

**So enjoy!**

**…**

**After the Cave in**** - Dean's awakening**

**…**

The passageway had caved in, halfway burying Dean underneath, only his arms, head and upper back still visible. His limp body was laying face down on the ground. Each breath getting more and more strained with each intake, his body struggling against the weight of the rocks.

Sam's legs carried him automatically towards his sibling. "Don't worry, I'll have you out in no time."

Worried about his brother's struggling breathing and the possibility of a panic attack if Dean woke he quickly decided removing the rocks took priority over waking Dean. Sure, a talking and awake Dean would have been more reassuring, but not necessarily what was best for his brother.

His hands worked steadily as his mind raced. This wasn't supposed to happen! It was the monster who was supposed to be the danger, not a crazy cave in! How they always managed to land in such crazy situations was beyond him. All he could do was blame their dumb ass Winchester luck.

He worked slowly, careful not to jostle the rocks as it could disturb their delicate balance. But his work constantly became more hurried and reckless as he listened to Dean's breaths which where getting weaker by the minute.

His proceedings halted as a low moan escaped scrambled down to the floor, not willing to risk Dean panicking and causing the rocks to collapse further.

"Dean? You with me man?"

Dean blinked, his eyes quickly closing again as the bright light of the torch assaulted his eyes, sending a stabbing pain through his head. "Geez, mind shinin'… that sun… of yours elsewhere…?"

"Oh, sorry, better now?"

Dean tried once more opening his eyes. With the light turned away and the cave back to it's relative darkness he managed to keep them open, though with a slight squint. Sam was on all fours next to him, face all scrunched up in worry.

"Don't move all right? I've almost got you out, just hang in there a little bit longer. No fainting on me now ok?"

Even though Sam had tried to control his voice, Dean could still detect the hint of fear buried underneath the light words. It seemed like he needed to hold it together, if not for himself, then at least for Sam, so he gathered himself as best he could before speaking. "I… dn't faint…" Okay, not the most impressive of displays, but with the way his lungs were hurting it was the best he could do. If nothing else, the wisecrack at least seemed to drain the worst of Sam's panic.

"That's good man, just lie back and rest now, and I'll be finished in no time" Sam smiled before returning to his work.

"Sure, why not…" Dean slurred while trying to adjust his body to a more comfortable position. First then did he realize that he was completely pinned to the floor and that his body was steadily growing numb. He hated being trapped. He needed to be able to move. Needed to be able to protect himself. Needed to be able to protect Sammy. All of which wasn't an option at the moment.

He tried to remain calm, to lie still and wait like he had been asked to. But it was getting harder for each passing second. Being trapped was bad enough, but being trapped under something incredible heavy was even worse. With the weight on his back every breath was a fight, the lack of oxygen making him dizzy and giving him the feeling of slowly being strangled to death. He knew it was bad to panic in a situation like this were reserving what oxygen was left was key to survival, but his brain had apparently forgotten that memo. So even though he tried to quell it, panic soon started to rise within him. His breathing sped up, bringing him close to hyperventilating, allowing even less oxygen to reach his starving lungs which again made him struggle harder against the restraints.

"Whoa there, didn't I tell you to rest?" Sam offered gently as he once more hunched down beside his brother. He seized his struggles for a moment, instead focusing his panicked and slightly out of focus gaze on Sam.

Sam sensed his brother's confusion. "The cave collapsed in on itself and you were sort of in the way. But don't worry, I've gotten rid of most of the rocks. There are just a few more to go, so just lay still as I keep working ok? Don't want to risk setting of another cave in do you?"

With that, all the memories of what had led to his predicament came flowing back to Dean. Of all the things that might hurt him in here, a cave in hadn't been in his top ten scenarios, not even in his top twenty. _Friggin Winchester luck!_

"Just relax and try to focus on your breathing, I'll be quick" Sam offered before returning to his duty.

"Easy for… you to… say" he answered breathlessly, but tried to do as Sam asked while pushing down his panic. He focused on Sam's breathing, trying to align his breaths with his brother. But his lungs wouldn't expand as vast as his brother's so he eventually settled with a rhythm of breathing two to three breaths for each of Sam's. It still didn't allow for much oxygen to reach him, but with his limited movement it was the best he could do.

Sam worked on and went to push away one of the larger rocks on top of Dean's lower back. But his movements froze as Dean cried out.

The pain lanced through Dean's body, setting his numb limbs aflame. The intense and surprising pain caused him to cry out in agony. He bit down on his lip in order to stifle any more cries as he fought to gain back control of his shallow breathing. He pressed his forehead to the cool stone floor before repeatedly slamming his fist against the hard stone just to be able to focus on something different then the pain rippling through his body.

His fist was caught in a steel grip. "Don't, you'll hurt yourself."

Dean lifted his eyes up to his brother's. "I think it's a bit… late for that… don'tcha think?"

Sam's eyes widened. "Do you know what's wrong? Where are you hurt? What happened?" he rushed, his worry for his brother increasing tenfold as Dean admitted to being hurt. His brother just didn't do that.

Dean could feel the tension running off Sam, not willing to add to it he prepared his standard reply: "I'm … fine."

But instead of comforting Sam it only resulted in making him angry. "Yeah right, that's why you're out of breath and barely holding yourself together! You're such a jerk sometimes!" He rose back up to continue the stone removal.

Dean just sighed. At least angry Sammy was easier to deal with than worried Sammy.

Despite his anger Sam worked more carefully around Dean's back, not willing to cause any more pain then he already had. He removed some of the smaller rocks surrounding the larger one that had made Dean cry out. He could still fell Dean twitch every time he brushed against it, the larger rock clearly the source of the agony. And even though Dean tried to suppress his pain a few low groans still escaped him as Sam worked.

As he toiled realization suddenly slammed into him. Dean was lying in the exact same place he had stood before Dean had shoved him violently into the wall. That could only mean one thing. The large rock that now was hurting his brother had to be the low hanging stalagmite he had walked into earlier. The pain Dean was suffering, damn, the whole freaking cave in had been his fault. If only he had been more careful about where he was going this never would have happened, Dean would have been fine right now, not buried under a bunch of rocks. He just prayed the injuries would be superficial and nothing more

The slow steady mantra of "please, please let Dean be all right, let it just be bruises. Please let him be all right, please, please" came in a whispers as he removed the last of the stones around the stalagmite to uncover Dean's lower back. Apparently God wasn't listening.

He could feel his eyes start to prickle as he surveyed the damage. The shirt was torn, dirty and worst of all, soaked in blood. What flesh was exposed already bore witness of darkening bruises. But most prominent was of course the stalagmite sticking straight out from Dean's lower back. Blood was seeping steadily from the wound, gathering in a small pool around Dean. He would have thrown up if he had anything left in his stomach.

Dean didn't feel too good either. Now that the rocks had been removed his blood was free to circulate once more. The numbness of his body slowly and agonisingly being replaced by an ever increasing throbbing. On the bright side his breaths weren't stolen by the weight of the rocks anymore! The question on the other hand was how long it would take before pain would start stealing them away again. He was also sure he could feel warm liquid filtering down his body. Still Sam just stood there starring at him, not doing anything to help. That only meant one thing, that he was screwed. Still, he had to get Sam moving again if he was to stand any chance. "So you just going to stare at my fine ass or… are you going to dig the rest of me out before my legs… go to sleep for good down there?"

The question drew Sam out from his daze, but he still didn't move. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered, barely audible to Dean's ears.

Dean felt lost. _What was Sam sorry for?_

He really wanted to ask but Sam had already started on removing the last of the rocks from his legs. All done in a zombie like state. Dean decided this conundrum needed some serious thought if he was to have any hope of reaching Sam.

As a bolt of lightning, recollection struck him. He felt chilled as realisation slowly seeped into him. Still he had to know. "Sam, ehm… is there a big rock stuck in my… uh… back?"

Sam didn't respond. "Sammy?" he prompted again.

A muffled sorry was all the response that came from Sam as he kept on working.

Crap, if Sam was this shaken had to be really, really bad. It sure felt that way. He worked to keep his breathing in check as Sam removed the rocks as to not put any further guilt on Sam for hurting him. As soon as Sam was done removing the last of the rocks he tried to get up, but a sharp spike in pain and a horrified "NOOO!" from Sam had him flopping back to the ground in no time.

"You have to stay still Dean! You can't move before I've gotten that stalagmite out!"

_Okay, so that answers that question_.

"I'm going to have to pull it straight out, and is going to hurt like hell. You up for it?"

Dean just gave a curt nod, not trusting his voice to not reveal the pain the slight motions had caused and how he knew that this was going be way worse. He just hoped he could manage to stay awake.

"Ok, on three. One… two… three!"

A roar of pain was ripped from him as pain consumed his entire world. Tears were threatening to spill as he lay on the cold floor, barely conscious.

Sam took advantage of the situation, hoping Dean would be to out of it to feel him prodding the wound. But no such luck. Dean's breath hitched at every touch and he was starting to shiver badly towards the end. Sam pulled back as quick as he could, breathing a sigh of relief as no major organs seemed to be pierced. But the stalagmite had still caused some major damage. In any other circumstance a wound this bad would have him rushing his brother to the hospital, but not today. Today they were trapped. That meant that it was up to him to save his brother. He once again cursed their bad luck as he knew this was going to be beyond painful for Dean.

He went to his bag to get the first aid kit, grateful that they had remembered to take it with them. Inside though, Sam was silently freaking out. He knew Dean had a high tolerance for pain, but this had to be killing him. He could see how Dean struggled to maintain his game face under the duress the pain was putting him through. Sometimes he hated it when Dean did that, the shutting him out. He should be focusing on himself, not on Sam's well being. But at other times, he was thanking his brother for it as it made it easier for him to patch Dean up not to know how much pain he was really causing his brother. He feared this might be one of the later times.

The first thing he did was finding some pain pills and a bottle of water for his injured brother, something that at least would help take the edge off the pain if nothing else. Dean accepted the tablets easily enough, for once smart enough not to argue as he realized they would be needed for the coming treatment.

The water bottle was apparently not as important as didn't touch it, instead trying to dry swallow the tablets. Sam saw Dean's predicament and quickly realized that Dean, at the moment, didn't have the strength to take a proper drink as it would be nearly impossible for him to lift both his torso and arm simultaneously without majorly aggravating his injured back. Sam decided to act, it was vital that Dean got some liquid down as he didn't need his brother to be dehydrated on top of the already substantial blood loss.

He put a hand under Dean's upper torso, slightly raising him as he held the water bottle to his lips. But even this small movement caused Dean's wound to flare up, a wince marring his features as the pain shot through his frame. He forced himself to take a few swallows before letting his head drop, his back all the while screaming at him to lie back down. His throat still felt chalky, but at least the tablets were gone.

Sam was uncertain if he should try to pressure his brother to take some more water. But at the pained grimace on Dean's face he quickly decided against it. A little water wasn't going to help anything if his brother didn't survive. No, what little strength Dean had left he had to preserve for the upcoming fight. Sam just prayed his brother was strong enough.

He settled Dean back on the ground, Dean's features immediately softening somewhat at the more easy position.

"Dean, I need to start fixing you up. Okay?"

"Sure, Sammy, trust you," was all Dean managed to say, too tired to offer up much else.

Sam felt self-loathing enter his mind at those words. Dean was giving him his full trust, and all he would get in return was pain. But it needed to be done if Dean was to have any chance of survival so he bit down on his guilt and went to work.

He collected the first aid kit as well as his own jacket. The jacket was placed on the upper part of Dean's body in an effort to keep him warm and to stave off shock. Dean relaxed into the familiar fabric, almost snuggling, letting himself drift away from the pain into memories of his little brother.

Sam smiled at the sight. He knew if he ever brought this up later Dean would either deny it or blame it on the painkillers. But that was okay, he knew the truth, no matter how much his big bad ass brother protested.

His fingers worked deftly at pulling out all the relevant items that would be needed for the task and placing them in easy reach. He was just beyond happy that he had thought to bring the first aid kit with them at all. He had almost left it behind as he was sure they were going on some wild goose chase. But at the very last minute he had decided to chuck it in with the rest of their gear just in case. That was something he would be eternally grateful for if they ever made it out of this mess.

"I'm quite certain there are no major arteries or organ damage inside from my earlier check, so I'm basically going to clean it out as best as I can and then sow it up. Sound good?"

All he got as response was a slight "mmm" in agreement. His brother was clearly far into his dream land. He just hoped he would remain there as real life was about to get a whole lot worse.

Medical equipment at hand he placed his knees at either side of his brother's lower body, effectively straddling him. Hopefully it would keep Dean's body still for what needed to be done.

His hand, visible shaking, went for the wound and pried it open slowly. His other hand tipped a large amount of peroxide inside. He tensed in preparation, and he wasn't disappointed.

As soon as the liquid entered Dean's wound his body arced wildly, a scream escaping his throat. He tried desperately to crawl away, to escape the burning pain, but Sam's weight held him down. He fought to throw Sam off, bucking and struggling as much as his body would allow. But Sam was heavy and strong, no match for his quickly fading strength. As Sam poured another dose of the bubbling peroxide into the wound, his body spent, he could do nothing more but whimper as his body trembled.

Sam cringed at hearing him whimper, almost letting him go. That sound was just wrong coming from his brother. If he would have been able to kill whatever did this he would have done it without regret. Bu he doubted very much that blowing up a stalagmite would hurt it very much, even though it might bring him a bit of satisfaction for what it had done to his brother. And if he was honest with himself he should probably shoot himself if he wanted justification. It was after all his fault Dean had gotten injured in the first place. If he had been watching out for dangers instead of thinking of himself, Dean wouldn't have had to push him away and therefore instead been able to get himself out of harm's way.

Sighing he let his guide slide downwards to Dean's prone body. His eyes were closed, his breathing erratic and his face a picture of agony, but he was still conscious. "Why can't you just let go Dean? Faint, not fight. Make it easy on yourself for once in your life!"

But Sam had no such luck as Dean stubbornly clung on to whatever threads of consciousness he had left.

Seeing as there was nothing he could to Sam grabbed the needle and started closing up the wound. As he slid the needle through the skin, a moan escaped Dean, apparently still aware enough to feel every prick and pull of the needle. This was one of those times where he just felt like knocking his brother out in order to spare him the pain, but he knew it wouldn't have been welcomed, so he kept his hand steady and worked.

Dean's body was drenched in sweat by the time Sam was finished. His breathing coming in short pants, he's face scrunched up in tight lines of pain. A slight humming, Metallica probably, was emanating from his throat. And even if the constant trembling had subsided powerful shivers racked his body every now and then. Sam felt for his pulse, no sign that he was even still awake except for the slight humming. It was fast, but still strong.

"Dean, you still with me? I'm almost done here man, just need to put on a bandage. You're doing great."

Sam was rewarded with a silver of green when Dean's eyes parted slightly. Too weak to hold up his usual walls Sam could easily see the pain that resided deep within those pools of green.

"It's okay Dean, we're almost done, you can rest soon," Sam said softly as he put his hand on the back of Dean's neck.

Dean's eyes closed as he turned into the touch, lending strength from it. The next time their eyes met the walls were back up, the pain and misery hidden deep within once more. He took as deep a breath as he could manage before tilting his head towards Sam. "Just finish it." Sam gave a nod before removing his hand to complete his administrations. Dean missed it as soon as it was gone.

"I'm going to sit you up. Just lean all your weight on me and I'll do all the work. It's going to be a bit tricky as I can't exactly turn you on your back, but bear with me."

He grabbed Dean by the shoulders and helped rolling him over onto his side, from there Sam started leveraging him into a more upwards position. Even though he let Sam do all the lifting the movement still pulled on his wound. He clenched his jaw in order to remain silent. But he could do nothing about the single tear escaping his eye.

As soon as Sam had him upright he leaned Dean back against him, holding him tight, hand placed securely over Dean's heart. They remained in that position while Dean's breath and heart evened out.

Then the position started becoming awkward, reminding Dean more of an embrace then a steadying hold. "Erm, I understand I'm all sexy and all, and I am flattered, I am, but think you could hold off on the cuddling till we at least get out of here?"

Sam snorted and bent his head forward to see Dean's face. "Dude, you are covered in sweat, dust, grime and blood, you're as white as a sheet and you can't stand. On which planet do you think that is sexy?"

Dean's Cheshire cat grin emerged at the comment. God, Sam had missed seeing that on Dean's face. But he knew he would soon be regretting it if Dean was up to his usual antics.

"Dude, do you know how many chicks I've scored on looking like this? Especially nurses. Really hot nurses. You'd be amazed at the things one can get away with at a hospital. This one time a doctor caught us, but she just decided to get in on the fun!"

Sam stared incredulously at Dean.

"Your kidding right? Not even you can pull that of!"

"Remember Finkly hospital in Minnesota? Remember how nice they were and how sorry they were to see me leave. They didn't even charge our bogus insurance card."

Grin still plastered on Dean's face Sam could do nothing but role his eyes at his hopeless brother. "Great, now I can't ever look at nurses or doctors the same way again. Thanks for scarring me for life yet again Dean, thank you very much," he grumbled.

"Hey, you asked," Dean defended.

"No, I really didn't, but since you are feeling so perky lets at least get this bandaging on the road again."

Dean's smile faltered a bit at that. But he had at least accomplished the mission he set out to do: Calming Sam down. Sam ever only got this touchy-feely if he was really scared. And his job was to keep Sam from being scared. So mission accomplished.

Sam kept Dean leaned against him as he started circling the bandage around Dean's waist. As he started tightening it he put pressure on the wound. With the sudden increase in pain Dean couldn't help but letting a slight yelp escape as his body tried to buck off his little brother's shoulder. But Sam kept him in place. In order to keep Dean's mind of the pain, Sam started talking.

"You know, you shouldn't have done this?"

Dean sent him a bewildered look, not comprehending what Sam was referring to. When no answer seemed to be forthcoming he decided to probe. "What?"

"Jumping under the stalagmite…" Sam returned softly.

Dean could only offer him an incredulous stare. "So I was supposed to just let that spike… impale the back of your neck… and split you in two?" he rasped as he tried to not flinch from Sam's bandaging.

"Oh…" was Sam's only response. He hadn't known it had been that bad. But still his brother shouldn't have had to do this, he should have been able to take care of himself. But before he could utter another protest Dean cut him off.

"Don't. It's my job to protect you and that's what I did… end of story." And with that Dean effectively ended the discussion.

Annoyed, Sam pulled extra hard on the bandage causing Dean to yelp yet again.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

**…**

Finished Sam put the first aid kit back in the bag. Dean had amazingly enough managed to stay awake during the whole procedure, even though Sam was sure he had almost fainted on several occasions, just managing to hold on out of pure stubbornness. Sam let himself rest with his now more comfortable brother, the pain pills having kicked in, leaning against him.

"Dean, you didn't by any chance check if there were multiple exits to these caves?"

"Can't we just go back the way we came if we have to leave? But we could of course carry on a little longer if you're up to it," Dean joked lightly.

Sam's anger flared at that. Only his moronic brother could joke at a time like this. Dean's usual defence against pain only working to fuel Sam's anger further.

"Don't you dare, Dean! You need a hospital, not more strutting about! You may be good at handling pain and wounds, but if that wound of your starts spilling blood or get infected you're going to need a hospital, and soon. I'm not willing to take that chance, so just shut it. We're heading back!"

Dean quickly realized his brother wasn't in the mood for jokes and surrendered. "Ok, ok spunky, you win, no point in getting all … about it. But why can't we just return the wa… oh, of course the cave in – forgot about that."

Sam's face scrunched up in worry as he stared at his loopy brother. Dean's forgetfulness could have been caused by many things, like the bump on his head or the blood loss. Sam just hoped the pain killers were to blame this time. They had enough trouble on their plate as it was without adding a serious concussion or shock to it.

Not feeling like being scrutinized, Dean continued. "Ehm, I didn't check if there were another way out of here, but there were several places that the cave was near the ground level. Some of them must be an exit right? You can check the map if you like, it's in my ba… shit, it's on the other side of the cave in isn't it?" Dean asked exasperated.

"Sure is, which also means we have just one flashlight as yours was smashed by the rocks."

"Is it fixable?" Dean asked almost sadly.

Sam sighed, even if Dean didn't care for his own life, he still managed to worry about everything else, even birthday gifts.

"Yeah, think so. But not without some new equipment, so no luck in fixing it in here, but I bet you can do it when we get out." Sam offered.

Dean managed a smile as thanks, but it soon faded into lines of pain as another shiver wrecked his body. Sam also registered it, thinking it was about time they high tailed it out of here.

"I guess we'll just have to search our way out here then. You ready?"

Dean started pushing himself off his brother as a response. But Sam wasn't taking any chances so he was by his side instantly, steadying him as he tried to get his feet underneath himself. At first his knees buckled beneath him, the pain and vertigo to much to keep his balance. But Sam caught him easily and took a strong hold of his belt while draping Dean's arm over his shoulders. Dean eventually managed to get his feet under him and take some of his own weight, still swaying, but at least not crumpling to the floor anymore. Sam caught their bag and they slowly progressed towards the only exit, leading them deeper into the caves.

**…**

**No cliff-hanger this time! No promises on the next chapter though :P**

**The monster is almost upon us! Can the boys survive as they wander ever deeper into its domain?**


	6. A Way Out

******Been a little ****awol of late as some not so fun stuff happened, but hopefully back now. **Was supposed too post this over four days ago, but the site wouldn't let me. Someone mentioned I way to get around this issue, so here's hoping it works! 

**Yet another chatty chapter here for you as they boys just wouldn't shut up. Not all that much happening as it's mainly a set up for the following chapters, but hope you enjoy it all the same!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them, all that belong to me are my spelling errors and monster *sniffle, goes of to hug monster***

…

**A Way Out**

…

Their progress was slow and Sam was getting increasingly worried by his brother state of health. His steps were getting slower, faltering every few feet, Sam's hold on him the only thing keeping him from crashing to the ground. His breaths were coming out shallow and loud. Ad to that that he had an ever increasing trembling wracking his body it was obvious to Sam that his brother needed rest, and soon. The trick was just to get him to agree to it. Expecting him to voice his body's own needs was like waiting for a snowstorm to hit Death Valley, in the summer. It just didn't happen. No, Dean would rather drag himself along on the floor before admitting he needed rest. Stupid self sacrificing older brothers who never know their own good.

Before he could come up with a plan his ramblings were interrupted by Dean's breathy rasp; "I 'member some of… the map… spots near the surface… to the right… I think…"

He wouldn't even have heard it if Dean wasn't right next to him. Sighing he took a closer look at the surroundings. They were standing in a wider part of the cave where three pathways split into different directions, one of which led to the right.

"Are you positive the right one leads outside?"

"Uh… no?"

That settled it, Dean was staying here whether he liked it not. Dragging him all over the cave was not only fruitless, but also not an option due to Dean's failing strength, especially as they might have to backtrack several times. Also, causing his brother unnecessary pain was just something he could do without. Changing course he headed towards the cave wall, a move which his brother unsurprisingly rebelled against.

"Dean, stop it, you need the rest!" Sam yelled annoyed before softening his voice into a more cajoling tone, "why don't you just sit down here for a bit and I'll run a long and check for an exit through the different pathways? It'll be a lot quicker this way."

"I can handle it," came the indignant protest.

"But I can't!" He knew it was a low blow, but he also knew it almost never failed. "You ain't exactly a lightweight, and I'm still a little dizzy from all the head butting with the rocks."

Dean's demeanor changed from worn out to alert in an instant. "Why didn't you say you were hurt? Let me look!"

Seeing the danger in the direction the talk had gone, he quickly backpedaled; "Dude, chill, it's nothing, at the most a slight concussion. I just don't think me lugging you all over the cave is any help for either of us. Especially as I might have to trample around the cave for a bit before locating the exit."

"But what if you run into the monster? It could be dangerous and I won't be there to back you up. Especially if you're not feeling well."

"I'll take some weapons with me and if I sense even the slightest bit of danger or feel dizzy I'll come running right back here in no time. Deal?"

But his brother was clearly not convinced yet.

"From what I've seen in this cave till now it's not even likely the monster is in here. Besides I won't go far, I'll just check the closest bits of the cavern, then come back for you again. How does that sound?"

Dean knew Sam was stretching far from him, but he just didn't like the idea of his little brother being out there unprotected. His gut feeling warned him against splitting up as it almost always ended in disaster, especially for Sam. Sure, there was little chance of something strangling his brother in here, but still…

As it was now it was only his stupid body that was holding Sam back from escaping this crap hole, so maybe it would be better to just let him go, let him get to safety before more of the cavern decided to collapse. But then again, he might not reach the safety if some monster was out there waiting. He cursed his failing limbs as he continued to stare at his brother in indecision.

Sam recognized his struggles. Seeing a chance for victory he decided to bring out the big guns. Screwing up his puppy eyes, he went for the killing blow.

"Please?"

Sam's pleading and irresistible puppy eyes had the desired effect on Dean as all his defenses deflated.

"Fine, I'll stay here, but be quick about it, bring lots of protection and don't wander too far away. And before I let you go I need to check your head."

"Sure, dad," Sam answered with a quick smile as he moved to positioned Dean in one of the corners in the room.

Sitting him down was awkward at best as all of the movements pulled at the wound, but through collaborating and lots of colourful wording they managed to get him seated in a somewhat comfortable position. By the end of it he was sweating and in pain, his breathing erratic. As he fought to get it under control Sam pulled out some more painkillers and water from his bag.

"Here this will help."

Dean hesitated.

"I know you don't want them as they make you sluggish, but with the pain you're in, not taking them is actually worse. Besides, these aren't the heavy duty ones so you should be fine."

He acquiesced, swallowing the pills and half the water bottle.

"That's a good boy," Sam teased.

Finally feeling somewhat in control again, he decided it was his brother's turn.

"Come on Sammy, now it's time for you to be a good boy! So hand over the flashlight and bend over."

"Seriously? You really meant that earlier?" Sam asked flabbergasted.

Dean didn't even bother answering, just starred patiently at him, hand held out for the torch.

"Fine, but I still think you're overreacting."

"Well the day you get as hard a skull as mine I'll let it go. Till then, bend over!"

"That just sounds wrong on so many levels," Sam interjected before conceding to his brother's ministrations. After feeling his head, asking various questions and shining the light in his eyes several times Dean released him.

"Satisfied?"

"No, but it'll have to do. From what I can see you've got some bumps, but no concussion. About time you started taking after me," Dean grinned.

"Well, it's not my fault I haven't had as much training flying into walls, gravesites and other what-nots as you."

"No, you're usually more busy finding rope, cords or similar what-nots to play with."

"At least they don't leave lasting damage."

"That's only cause I'm always there to get you out of it," he bantered back, but as he continued his voice lost its humour, growing grave instead, "but I won't be this time so don't get caught, okay?"

Seeing Dean's fear Sam gave his brother's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I'll be careful, I promise."

He stepped over to the duffle to prepare for his little roundabout. He pulled out a gun, a shotgun, a knife, holy water, salt and some different ammo before settling the bag by his brother and placing a gun in Dean's hand. "You be careful too, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dean nodded in confirmation.

He then stood up to walk away, but darkness was all that met him. The awful revelation that they only had one flashlight struck down like a knife. Not only would he be leaving his brother injured and basically unprotected, but he would also be leaving him in complete darkness! How he had not realized this sooner was beyond him. Maybe Dean had been right all along, maybe he should just abandon this idea and drag him along. At least that way he would know his brother was protected.

As he stood frozen he felt a tap on his leg that jarred him out of his thoughts. It was Dean, already holding the flashlight out for him. "You forgot about that didn't you?" he teased. "Don't worry, I'll be fine here. As you said earlier, the likelihood of the monster being here is slim to none. Only thing that might crawl on me is a spider or something, nothing I can't handle. So just go, find our way out of here. Okay?" he smiled, uttering the words with a confidence he certainly didn't have, but for Sam he could fake just about anything.

Sam placed his hand over Dean's, letting the touch linger a bit, taking strength from it, before taking the torch. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Just be here when I return. Promise?"

"Promise."

With that Sam strode off, leaving his charge in the dark.

…

**Pretty much done with the next chapter, so it will be following shortly!**


	7. Two Sides of a Monster

**This is seen from both the boys****' perspectives, so the story will overlap slightly in some areas. Also had some trouble with separating direct thoughts and viewpoints as I've never really tried it before, but hopefully that also makes sense…somehow…Oh, and a little bit of warning for Dean's potty mouth. **

**Can I ask I favour? Not really sure how to rate this story as I've never really used the rating scale before, so wondering if any of my treasured readers have a suggestion for a proper rating. Will be some major hurt coming up, but language pretty much stays at this level.**

…

**Two Sides of a Monster**

…

As Sam walked his thoughts kept flitting back to Dean. He knew splitting up wasn't usually their best bet as both of them would be fretting like crazy over the other, but to be honest he didn't have much of a choice. Dean was badly hurt, whether he wanted to admit it or not, and a surefire way to induce shock would be to keep dragging him all over this place. No, he had made the right choice in leaving him behind to rest. He just hated that doing the right thing made him feel so rotten.

His mind zigzagged back to the now when his eyes noticed a patch of sunlight filtering through to the cave floor. He ran over to it, elated that they might have gotten a break for once.

As he drew closer he discovered that the light was coming from holes in the cavern roof, none of them big enough to allow escape unless Dean had packed some dynamite. That was actually one thing they had yet to add to their arsenal when he thought of it. He had to make sure to get some for their next hunt. Dean would probably revert back to a kid just by the thought of if. He had to grin as he imagined his brother's goofy behaviour upon telling him he would be allowed to not only buy, but also use explosives. A childhood dream Dean had never quite grown out off.

As a beam of sunlight hit him he was once again dragged back to his current worries. He looked longingly at the sun filled gaps. They might not offer a way out yet, but it was clear that they led outside and that this part of the cavern was near the surface. That gave promise of an escape not being too far off.

Feeling hopeful and remembering his promise to Dean he thought it best to return and get his brother before continuing on. As he made to turn a shot rang out.

"Dean!"

Without thought he set off in a headlong sprint towards his brother.

…

Despite Sam's insistence that the pills wouldn't make him drowsy, the pills coupled with exhaustion and pain had brought his lids down almost as soon as Sam had disappeared from sight.

His restless slumber was disturbed by a warm breath on his cheek. It smelled foul, almost like rotting meat. Confused and disoriented he tried to make sense of the sensation. The breath certainly wasn't coming from Sammy as he was never this negligent when it came to brushing his teeth, hell he was even known to pop a breath mint once in a while. So what else…

Oh God, if this was a girl he would have had to have been seriously drunk in order to have slept with something this foul. Might even be worse then the girl from Tampa! He shuddered at the thought.

Hoping to get a moments peace from the atrocious smell he swatted weakly at its source. "Jeeze, ever thought of using some mouth wash or something once in a while?"

But his hand quickly withdrew as it hit something soft and wet. "What the hell?"

He cracked his eyes open in hopes of solving the riddle, but it was useless as all that met him was darkness. Fumbling for a light switch his hand only met with cold stone. _Did I get knocked out in a graveyard again or something? That would at least explain the smell and my achy body. _

Still uncertain of the circumstances his hands started patting down his pockets in hope of finding one of the matchbooks he always used to swipe at the motels. _Jackpot!_

Digging deep down in his right pocket, and after some fumbling, his hand at last produced a matchbook. He tried to light one, but it broke, the second and third dropped down to the floor. _Hm, something's not right, wouldn't normally be this clumsy. Maybe I really had way too much to drink last night. Although I can't ever remember a hangover or some lady company leaving me feeling this bad. Maybe I was drugged?_

On the fourth match he finally succeeded. Pleased, he held it up to the where the breath came from. He froze as he the image before him allowed him to remember the reason behind his current predicament. He would much rather have had a bad smelling Sam or even the Tampa girl than the sight that met him.

Cause right in front of him two large, yellow curios eyes starred back at him. But that wasn't the scary part. The terrifying part was the huge canines hanging down from its open mouth. Ignoring his throbbing body he dropped the match and pulled the trigger of his gun in one smooth motion. He heard the beast utter a surprised yelp and retreat.

He lighted another match, much faster this time as his movements were fuelled on by adrenaline, but there was no sign of it. He threw the match further out, but still couldn't see anything. He released the breath he had been holding. Apparently it was a beast after all. Question was just what kind of beast. He hadn't seen it before, although it did sort of remind him of, no… it couldn't be… nah. Just the darkness and blood loss playing tricks on him. But as long at bullets hurt it, he was happy, cause that meant he could kill the damn thing

He settled back down against the wall, his ears keening for a sound and eyes peering into the darkness for the monsters next move

…

Sam ran as fast as he could, but he had yet to reach Dean. _Did I wander further than I realized? No, I couldn't have, he must just be around the next corner, can't be much farther, just around the corner, had to be._

But still every corner only seemed to reveal yet another long passageway. His strength was waning, but he still ploughed on, his determination to reach Dean keeping him going as Dean needed him. _He'd save him this time, wouldn't be to blame for Dean's d…_ he couldn't even bring himself to think it. _No, Dean was just around the corner, no need to worry, just around the corner… _

…

Dean soon started to nod of again. But every time his head dropped to his chest, he'd jerk awake again.

_Can't fall asleep now, have to keep an eye out for the monster, have to warn Sammy. Need to stay awake. _

Only problem was that his battered body seemed to have other plans for him. He'd try concentrating on the danger, on Sammy, but his pulsating wound would always bring him back to his own needs. He was stopped dead in his thoughts when he felt the warm breath on his face once more. _Damn, how did that friggin huge monster manage to sneak up on me again? Either this thing's a ghost or one hell of a stealthy killer. _

He carefully tightened his grip on the gun before steeling himself to attack the creature again. His light movements where followed by a low growl that emanated from his two o'clock position. _Good, keep growling, makes you easier to pinpoint, you stupid sack of meat_.

Creature pinpointed he pulled his gun to aim, but he barely managed to raise the gun before the beast struck. Four massive claws slashed across his chest and upper arm. Dean roared in agony and surprise as the gun was knocked from his grip. "_Shit, this beast had anticipated his move, so defiantly not just an ordinary beast then" _he thought as he clutched his bleeding chest and arm.

…

Sam had had to stop for breath when his vision started tunneling, no way he had walked this far out of range. At this length he wouldn't even have heard the gunshot. Something was wrong, very wrong. As he panted the sound of his brother's pained cry carried through to him. Worries renewed he spurred out into a second sprint.

"Dean! Hold on, I'm coming!"

…

Dean's head spun to right, sure he had heard Sam calling his name and the approach of his thundering feet, but there was no sign of his brother. "Sammy, hurry, I'll try to hold this beast at bay a little longer, but not sure how long it will last, so please hurry…" he whispered before turning his attention to the beast again.

He kept entirely still, barely even breathing, hoping the creature would lose interest and move on, but no such luck. Its fetid breath once again was in his face, only this time it was followed by the monster's body. He tried to twist away, to push it off, but every movement sent agonizing spikes of pain up his back, practically paralyzing him. It allowed the creature to easily overpower him and push him to the ground. Panicked he reached for his knife that was stashed in his belt, but the beast once more anticipated his move and knocked it easily from his weak grip, although without causing any damage this time. It didn't seem angry any more, instead almost gentle in it's movements as it searched his body. He tried one last time to wriggle out of its grip, but the heavy muscled beast proved too much for him, his strength spent.

He lay back, panting from the strain, all the while battling to keep the encroaching blackness from taking him. As the warm breath slid down to his neck he could feel his pulse rack up yet another notch as he realized what was coming next, but he was powerless to stop it. He growled as the large canines sank into his shoulder and lifted him from the ground, dragging him towards the exit. He hung limply from its grip, unable to resist due to the pain coursing through his body.

"Sorry Sammy, can't wait any longer…" he whispered before he let the encroaching blackness take him.

…

**Crap, guess I left that with yet another cliffhanger *skulks off to hide behind my monster***

**Little fun fact: **

**Ever notice how almost every time Sam walks out of Dean's range he gets in trouble? Dean gets his fair share of trouble too when splitting up, but not nearly as much as Sam does. My friend and I have had many a laugh trying to guess what will befall our dear Sammy whenever he separates from Dean. Getting choked by something usually being the safe bet :-P**


End file.
